Back-to-school buying just got cheaper with this tax-free weekend guide where states cut sales tax on certain items just in time. While 16 states are participating in the tax-free days you also have Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon that never charge sales tax. Be aware that most of the tax holidays begin at 12:01 a.m. and end at midnight. Is your state lacking this tax-free day? Then it may be time to take a road trip. Here’s some free gas for all of the driving from store to store.

Maximize Rewards! Another tip for back-to-school shopping is to make sure you have a proper credit card to maximize your savings. From initial bonuses worth $600+ to 2% cashback on all purchases, there are plenty of great credit card deals available to parents this back-to-school season. You can even get 5% back on restaurant purchases while dining and shopping with these cards.

On top of a cashback credit card why not sign up for Drop and iBotta. Two amazing apps that are paying huge and you can double dip all of these programs. iBotta, for instance, will allow you to send in your receipt into the app if you shopped at Target to claim money back. With Drop, you simply add your credit cards and it knows where you shopped and will give you cash back from places such as Starbucks, Old Navy, Nike, Aerie, and other retailers. You then redeem the cashback for gift cards. If you use this link for Drop you’ll get $5 towards your first gift card.

Remeber to Stick to a Budget! It’s hard to avoid overspending if you don’t have both a shopping list and a budget. Before heading to these retail or outlet stores, make a list of what you need and do a quick search to see how much each item costs. This will help you make an overall back-to-school budget and decide how to allocate the funds. It’s too bad Amazon is not able to get in on the B2S offers but you can get Boxed tax free year long.

States Going Tax-Free!

Arkansas
When: August 5–August 6 What: School supplies, art supplies, school instructional materials and clothing free of state and local sales or use tax.

Alabama
When: July 21–July 23
What: School supplies under $50; books under $30; computers under $750; clothing under $100

Get FREE Stuff on T-Mobile Tuesdays! You will be able to access this promotion using their Android or iOS app. Non-T-Mobile customers may also be able to access this promotion here: amoe.t-mobiletuesdays.com.

T-Mobile has one of the biggest giveaways today for the August 1st edition of T-Mobile Tuesdays. T-Mo customers can get a free small Slurpee from 7-Eleven and $0.25 off a gallon of gas at Shell, up to 20 gallons. T-Mobile is also gifting its subscribers with 50 percent off a local food or drink purchase from Groupon (up to $10 off) and three months of IndieFlix streaming for free.

Free 12-month subscription to FC Bayern.tv Plus. With this service, you can watch all the goals, match highlights, and the pre- and post-match interviews for soccer team FC Bayern Munich, as well as a live web radio stream during matches.

The no-brainer in this week’s gifts for T-Mobile customers is $0.25 off a gallon of gas at Shell, up to 20 gallons. The biggest prize if you ask us is that they are giving away free Gas! This is $0.25 off per gallon at Shell. Make sure to sign-up for the Fuel Rewards program here (to extend this to up to 65 cents a gallon savings) for the Free Shell Gas and the promo code will automatically open in your app after you redeem it in the T-Mobile Tuesdays App.

One grand prize winner will get a VIP movie experience that includes a two-night trip for two to Seattle, Wash., in August to appear as an extra in an upcoming indie film. Also included with the grand prize is a lifetime subscription to IndieFlix, an Apple TV, a 55-inch 4K TV, and a check for $2,845 to cover taxes or other expenses. Twenty-five first prize winners will each receive a lifetime IndieFlix subscription and an Apple TV. Finally, 300 second prize winners will each get a one-year subscription to IndieFlix.

T-Mobile is known for doing things a little differently to other carriers, and its rewards program is much the same. When T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced that the company will give all customers a weekly gift, one share of stock, and free in-flight Wi-Fi we were grateful.

The weekly rewards program is pretty simple: it’s called T-Mobile Tuesdays, and it gives every subscriber a free gift every Tuesday. Examples are things like a free (carryout) pizza from Dominos, food from Wendy’s, movie tickets, or free rides with Lyft. There will be some recurring gifts you can claim (like dinner and a movie), while others will be happening on a week-by-week basis. This week, everyone’s going to get a ticket to see Warcraft. Whether that gift makes you happy or afraid probably depends on how many Warcraft trailers you’ve seen so far.

Subscribers have also had a chance for a free hour of Gogo inflight Wi-Fi on every flight they take, in addition to the free texting T-Mobile subscribers already get on planes. One hour of internet means this won’t be a replacement for truly frequent flyers, but an hour of emails and tweeting per flight is a pretty decent perk, all things considered.

To get these rewards, users just need to download the T-Mobile Tuesdays app from the Google Play store or iTunes, verify their T-Mobile number, and start spending the free stuff. It’s possible to spin T-Mobile’s motives here as being a straight publicity grab, in partnership with movie theaters that are mostly empty anyways on Tuesdays, and just want people to come in and buy popcorn. But in all honesty, free stuff is free, and the amount of free stuff you can potentially get in return for a $40 cell contract is sweet.

T-Mobile customers can score a free order of chips and guacamole from Chipotle, giving you some Mexican food to follow your pizza from last week. Also available will be a code good for $5 toward a movie rental or TV show purchase from FandangoNOW and two Lyft credits worth $5 each.

Everyone is raving over the Free Chips and Guac at Chipotle but the Lyft credits this week are actually something to be excited about not like the normal ones that expire the next day. This week you can get $5 off two rides each until 3/20 at 11:59pm so you have all weekend to use this deal! If you are new to Lyft sign-up here first with our promo code to save $20 more.

You Can Score More Than Guac!
One grand prize winner will receive “Burritos for One Year” in the form of 52 $10 Chipotle gift cards. Twenty-five first prize winners will receive a “Catering for 20” prize that includes include a gift card good for Burritos by the Box for 20, The Two Meat Spread, The Big Spread, or Veggie Spread. Finally, 200 second prize winners will get a “Dinner for Two” prize that includes a $20 Chipotle gift card.

Enter for a chance to win the T-Mobile Chipotle Instant Win Game! This giveaway is open to all, not just T-Mobile customers.

One (1) Grand Prize: The winner of the Grand Prize, subject to verification, will receive “Burritos for One Year,” awarded as fifty-two $10 Chipotle promotional gift cards.

Twenty-Five (25) First Prizes: Each winner of this prize, subject to verification, will receive “Catering for 20”, awarded as one Chipotle “Catering for 20” promotional gift card which includes a choice of Burritos by the Box for 20, The Two Meat Spread, The Big Spread or Veggie Spread.

Two Hundred (200) Second Prizes: Each winner of this prize, subject to verification, will receive “Dinner for Two,” awarded as one gift card, Chipotle promotional gift card for two free burritos, bowls, salads or orders of tacos including chips & guacamole and two fountain drinks.

FREE Firecracker Chicken at Panda Express (Open to Everyone not just T-Mobile Customers)
Through February 1st, Panda Express is offering up a FREE Order of Firecracker Chicken ($3.90 value)! You can redeem online by using promo code FCCB2017 at checkout. You may be able to use this offer at the restaurant by showing/telling your cashier the code FCCB2017 (be sure to call ahead). REDEEM BY 02/01/2017 AT 03:59 AM CST.

Free Firecracker Chicken Breast entree from Panda Express. The meal is “spicy and sweet” and is available both online and in participating physical locations while supplies last. In addition, T-Mobile subscribers will receive a $20 discount at Fanatics.com. This is an online store that sells sports apparel and fan gear. Among the items it sells are officially licensed MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL merchandise.

The weekly contest will have two Grand Prize winners. Each will get $5,000 to buy a big screen T.V. for the Super Bowl, or to spend on anything that the winners want to buy. In addition, the two Grand Prize winners will each be given a check in the amount of $2,142 to cover taxes, or to be used at the winner’s discretion. 50 First Place winners will receive a $100 Fanatics.com eGift Code that can be used to purchase merchandise. The $100 includes taxes and shipping. Two Hundred Second Prize winners will win a $50 gift code from Fanatics.com. That $50 includes taxes and shipping.

Non-T-Mobile customers may also be able to access this promotion here: amoe.t-mobiletuesdays.com

Halloween Promo’s
T-Mobile customers can get $10 off any costume from Spirit Halloween. T-Mobile is also giving customers a treat in the form of two free Subway cookies. The final gift next week is a free VUDU movie rental, with customers getting to choose one of 24 Halloween “classics.” This week’s grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 shopping spree at any Spirit Halloween store. The purchase must be made in one transaction, and the $1,000 must be used by October 26. The winner will also get a $428 check to use for taxes or other expenses. Five first prize winners will get a 7-foot Boogie Man Animatronic from Spirit Halloween. This statue is worth $199.99, and you can see it for yourself below. Finally, 30 second prize winners will get a $25 Spirit Halloween gift card valid for in-store or online purchases.

#BBMA’s Week
T-Mobile received a free 12-week digital subscription to Billboard Magazine and 25 percent off most JBL products, including Bluetooth speakers and headphones, from T-Mobile stores. T-Mo is also touting a Billboard Music Awards playlist as a gift for its customers. That week’s grand prize winner will get a trip for two to the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 21. This prize includes roundtrip airfare to Las Vegas from May 20 to May 22, two nights in a hotel room, two tickets to the BBMAs including walking the magenta carpet and the after-party, and $500 in spending money. T-Mobile will also provide a check for $2,915 for taxes and other expenses. Fifty first prize winners will each receive a JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, and 100 second prize winners will each get a pair of JBL E55BT Bluetooth headphones.

Uber’s Flat Fare Ride Package (now called Ride Pass) is available in ten major cities now including Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. You can get access to these really cheap rides by paying a one-time activation fee of $5 to $20 then riding flat-fare rides of only $5.99 to $20 for 40 flat-fare rides. The flat fares vary by city, but overall, they’re dirt cheap. UberPool rides start at just $1.99, and UberX rides start at $3.99.

An example would be in Dallas where they are charging $5 to activate the flat fare for 30 days then it’s only $5.99 a ride. Dallas seems to be one of the cheaper cities so that we have seen. We mean ridiculously cheap.

If you haven’t yet signed up for Uber then you can save even more towards your next ride. Register here to get a $20 credit for Uber towards a Free Ride. Use promotion code “UberVip4me“

How Cheap Are Uber’s Flat Fares?

You must choose a city to activate your flat-fare deal so do not expect these fares on vacation in another city unless you sign up for that city as well. Also, your rides must stay within your city’s designated zone, and some airports are excluded from those areas. For example, in Dallas the DFW and Dallas Love Field are regular price and do not include the Flat-Fare Pricing. You’ll pay your activation fee immediately, but your special pricing will stay active for 30 days (or until you use all your rides).

Here’s the full list of fares. Don’t forget to add that activation fee of either $5, $10 or $20 when doing your own math:

Boston: $4.99 UberX rides

Chicago: $4.49 UberX rides

Dallas: $5.99 UberX rides

Los Angeles:$3.99 UberX rides

Miami: $4.99 UberX rides

New York City: $5.99 UberX rides

San Diego: $4.99 UberX rides

San Francisco: $4.99 UberX rides

Seattle: $4.49 UberX rides

Washington, D.C.: $4.49 UberX rides

Should You Pay Upfront for Cheap Uber Rides?

Absolutely. One ride would probably pay for the offer to make it worth it. The designated flat-fare zones are wide and cover most of the areas people go clubbing in or practically anywhere but the airports. We have yet to test out if drivers get alerted on the flat fares and may not pick you up because maybe they make less money? That would seem to be the main issue of if they try and add on surge pricing. Even if you take a few rides on Uber a month and go over 10 miles this seems like a good deal compared to their normal UberX pricing especially without any other offers going on right now with partners such as Quicksilver. We really have to wonder how Uber is able to make these rides so cheap for 30 days!

My personal experience is that I have saved over $300 using Ride Pass (formerly flat fares). I honestly am not sure how Uber is making any money from my trips. Uber certainly makes money when I travel because you can only get the Ride Pass in one city during a certain sign-up time each month I have noticed. I have marked my calendar each month to look for the Ride Pass in my app so I don’t miss it.

Dallas Area Update – July 31, 2017: I’ve saved over $924 using the Ride Pass in the Dallas area. This comes out to over $155 a month with only paying $5 for each 28 day pass. Uber has also offered me the pass one day before August so that I can continue saving only raising the price of the rides $1. The price before was $5.99 and now it’s $6.99. I imagine they will raise it each month because they are ultimately losing money on frequent users such as myself. See below for my total savings and what the email looks like you would receive to activate the Ride Pass each month:

DoorDash is another on-demand restaurant delivery service but they have no minimum order size and are not as limited in geographical area as some of the other related apps. They bring food from your favorite restaurants directly to your door.

DoorDash allows you to order from some of the best restaurants that may not normally deliver. It is also timely as it is normally less than 45 minutes. When you order on DoorDash they provide you with the full restaurant menus to select your order then you add special instructions to make sure your food is the way you want it.

DoorDash $7 Sign-Up Bonus and First Delivery Free
When you sign up for DoorDash to get your first delivery for free ($6.99 value) you also get a $5 free credit to your account. You will also earn a $5 credit for each new user that you refer to DoorDash.(more…)

Chipotle is offering a Buy One Get One Free Burrito, Salad, Bowl, or Tacos with the coupon. This is done with their partner Savorwavs where you make a musical mix of your order. Yes, they even talked about this earlier today on CNBC and played their tunes. If you add sour cream the mix gets quite entertaining but do not spend too much time on it if you are at work. (more…)